Buccaneers: Ronald Jones makes statements in massive win

Ronald Jones statement #2: Still growing in the passing game

The starting running back for the Buccaneers is great at running the ball, but this offseason should be purely dedicated to catching the football. Jones has been a train wreck as a receiver this year, and that could be the biggest thing keeping him from emerging as one of the best multi-purpose backs in the league.

Jones currently has a 70.3% season catch rate and is only averaging 4.8 yards per reception. These numbers may have been decent during a different era, but Jones has already shown that his ceiling as a receiver is much higher.

In 2019, Jones averaged 10 yards per reception on 31 catches/40 targets, which is exponentially better than this season from an efficiency standpoint. If Jones could mix his 2019 success through the air with his 2020 uptick on the ground, he could easily be one of the game’s best complete backs.

Unfortunately, Jones is still struggling with drops and securing the football. In the last three weeks, Jones has lost two fumbles due to poor ball control as a receiver, and that, coupled with drops, has made Jones a liability in the air at times.

Perhaps Jones will hit his stride with Brady during the end of the season, but RoJo is missing out on his full potential in a Tom Brady offense when he can’t make something happen with the ball through the air.